*Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Ali G: Who Iz I?” arrives on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The comedy opened in theaters on Oct. 23 for one weekend only, just five days before its streaming debut.
The film marks Cohen’s feature directorial debut. He stars as Ali G alongside Morgana Robinson, and Amazon MGM Studios is handling the release.
The story picks up after Ali G has spent 20 years “chillin’, tokin’ and bonin’.” He is stunned to learn that his longtime girlfriend, Julie, is eight months pregnant. With a baby on the way, he heads to America to win back his old fame, only to run into enemies who put his life and his child’s at risk.
The theatrical release was small. According to World of Reel, Amazon limited the rollout to a single weekend, with most theaters offering one showing a day. The film played in just 23 theaters; early reports pointed to more than 1,000 screens.
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Few critics have weighed in so far. The film holds a 48% score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews.
The film has also drawn criticism in the UK, where some have called Ali G an outdated and racist caricature. Exhibitors there have reportedly faced pressure not to show it. Amazon has not said whether the backlash affected its decision to limit the release.
Cohen has done a heavy round of press for the project, including “60 Minutes,” Time, and appearances with Howard Stern and Jimmy Fallon. Cohen has explained why he brought Ali G back now. “Because I’m terrified of where our society is headed, and the way I can comment on that is through my comedy,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I wanted to show the extremism on both sides of the political spectrum and the danger of virtuous violence.”
Despite those serious themes, he still set out to make people laugh. “And obviously we wanted to make the funniest film that’s ever been made,” Cohen said.
Prime Video is familiar territory for Cohen. His 2020 sequel “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” premiered directly on the streamer.
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